Chelsea Digital Ventures: The tech business spun out of a football club November 17, 2021 Look closely next time Romelu Lukaku or Pernille Harder takes a mid-match drink and you may notice something that marks Chelsea out from other football clubs. Because instead of taking a swig from a bottle of Lucozade, or another well known sports hydration brand, players at the west London club have their own in-house product. [...]
San Marino 0, England 10: Record win secures place at Qatar 2022 World Cup November 15, 2021 England swaggered into the 2022 World Cup finals by hitting 10 against 10-man San Marino in their biggest ever win in a competitive match on a night when it all went right for Gareth Southgate. Harry Kane plundered a morale-boosting four-goal haul and wrote more entries in the England record books, Emile Smith Rowe shone [...]
The Red Roses have shown domestic investment can shift the tectonic plates November 15, 2021 The mighty Black Ferns? Routed twice. The North American might of Canada? Toppled. The Red Roses have had an autumn international window of dreams thus far. A total of 99 points were shipped by New Zealand at the hands of England – that wasn’t supposed to happen – and further 51 points were put on [...]
Premier League on the verge of £1.5bn US TV deal November 15, 2021 The Premier League is closing in on the sale of its US television rights for a record $2bn (£1.5bn).
Steven Gerrard confirmed as Aston Villa manager November 11, 2021 Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of former England captain Steven Gerrard as their new manager. Gerrard joins from Scottish champions Rangers, where he enjoyed success in his first senior management role, leading them to to the title unbeaten last season. He succeeds Dean Smith, who achieved hero status by taking Villa back into the [...]
Ed Warner: Why sponsors should beat a path to Yorkshire November 11, 2021 Yorkshire County Cricket Club might just be the most exciting sponsorship proposition right now. Mired in a racism crisis of its own making, deserted by its full roster of corporate partners, staring down the barrel of a parliamentary select committee, investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission – but with a new chair and [...]
Czech billionaire buys 27 per cent of West Ham in £150m deal November 10, 2021 Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has completed a deal which will see him acquire 27 per cent of Premier League club West Ham for £150m. The 46-year-old could use the initial investment to launch a takeover bid of the Hammers, who are currently majority owned by David Gold and David Sullivan. Kretinsky has stakes in both [...]
Azeem Rafiq fallout: How much did sponsor pressure contribute to resignations? November 10, 2021 The business of sport and sponsorship is volatile at the best of times, an ever changing landscape of decisions and consequences. It is nothing new for sponsors and clubs to renegotiate their terms – the Indian Premier League saw this in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – or quit altogether, as Norwich City decided [...]
Formula 1 must remember fans as on-track rivalries bloom November 9, 2021 An injury-time score, a shot at goal in the red, a final-over victory. Whatever the occasion, sports fans love a tight affair. The 2005 Ashes, the 2018-19 Premier League title race, and now the 2021 Formula 1 drivers’ championship; it could really be that close. The closest intra-team championship in the last five years came [...]
The light fantastic: How Okkulo is looking to ‘re-code’ athletes’ vision November 9, 2021 Filmmaker Mel O’Connor has had quite the story arc. He quit his job on Emmerdale and turned down work on an Idris Elba movie to follow his dream of developing an altogether different kind of visual experience. The result is a product, Okkulo, that he believes can not only revolutionise sport science but may also [...]